Star Wars: Skeleton Crew - Disney +

[Seto Kaiba]

Hmmm... it's been so busy at work I legitimately forgot this series was releasing this week!

Spoiler

Huh... the way it was advertised, I thought this was supposed to be something of a kid's show. 

The first onscreen character death comes at just 1:36 into the first episode.  Within 90 seconds there's more than a dozen people dead and this is just the first scene.  Years of our boy Hondo have clearly set my expectations for Star Wars space pirates too far into the "kid friendly" zone.  Yikes.

I do love that bit of dark comedy where, after having the freighter's captain spaced for refusing to open the vault and giving a boastful speech, the pirate captain kicks down the freshly cut vault door to find a single credit waiting for him... at which point he's promptly confronted by a mutiny.

It is, in a very strange way, unaccountably nice to see that the Galaxy Far Far Away actually does have a Nice Place to Live.

The whole "space suburbia" thing has this wonderfully 80's retrofuturism to it.  Half the walls are at a 45 degree angle for no reason, there's lots of leatherette and wood paneling, the alien neighbors are walking alien pets, and the neighbor's robot lawnmower is just a droid pushing a regular pushmower.  The care that went into the visual design for really does a lot to make At Attin feel truly lived-in.  Or I guess it's lived-on?

The bus driver even looks to be the same model of droid from the old Galaxy Tours attraction.

Spoiler

Star Wars has been so focused on orphans and kids from rural backgrounds that it honestly feels both weird and refreshing to have characters who actually do something as mundane as going to a normal school and take standardized tests.  Even if it is run by droids for some reason.

The exploration of the buried ship is a neat, and well-done bit of cinematography too.  Having it be upside-down is a very nice touch.  I did crack up a bit how Wim's dad sees the landscape start to heave up as the ship lifts off, and just IMMEDIATELY starts walking backwards without missing a beat.  I'm not sure if he's just emotionally dead or he's rational enough to know he wants no part of that.  The ship shedding all that dirt and debris as it slowly rolls over is a very cool effects shot too.  (The puff of dust it leaves behind when it jumps to hyperspace is fun touch too.)

The droid being named SM-33... Smee, as in, Mr. Smee from Peter Pan is a nice touch.

Wim... Wim is increasingly giving "Too dumb to live" vibes.  Like 80% of the things that happen in the first episode and a half happen because his first instinct seems to be to do whatever the most recent person to speak to him told him NOT to do.  

 

I am unaccountably happy that, on Skeleton Crew, someone actually did find skeletons of the ship's original crew.  I was hoping that gag would come up and it did.

 

The spaceport scene's another one where the showrunners clearly put a ton of effort into making the place look and feel lived in.  From the grunge everywhere to the weird hawkers giving informercial-esque sales pitches for assassin droids.

(It really is convenient that they're from the one planet absolutely bloody nobody has heard of.  Or apparently that absolutely nobody thinks is real.)

 

I admit I am bit lost at one point... weren't Old Republic credits basically worthless outside the Republic in The Phantom Menace?  Why are they apparently worth fighting for now?  

 

SM-33's kind of a badass.  Best droid beatdown since K-2SO humbled all those Stormtroopers in Rogue One.  And we're back to the same pirate crew we saw murdering tons of people at the start.  That actually works really nicely as an organic way to merge those two storylines.  

 

All in all, not a bad start at all.  I'm interested to see where it goes.

[Keith]

1 hour ago, Seto Kaiba said:

Hmmm... it's been so busy at work I legitimately forgot this series was releasing this week!

  Reveal hidden contents

Huh... the way it was advertised, I thought this was supposed to be something of a kid's show. 

The first onscreen character death comes at just 1:36 into the first episode.  Within 90 seconds there's more than a dozen people dead and this is just the first scene.  Years of our boy Hondo have clearly set my expectations for Star Wars space pirates too far into the "kid friendly" zone.  Yikes.

I do love that bit of dark comedy where, after having the freighter's captain spaced for refusing to open the vault and giving a boastful speech, the pirate captain kicks down the freshly cut vault door to find a single credit waiting for him... at which point he's promptly confronted by a mutiny.

It is, in a very strange way, unaccountably nice to see that the Galaxy Far Far Away actually does have a Nice Place to Live.

The whole "space suburbia" thing has this wonderfully 80's retrofuturism to it.  Half the walls are at a 45 degree angle for no reason, there's lots of leatherette and wood paneling, the alien neighbors are walking alien pets, and the neighbor's robot lawnmower is just a droid pushing a regular pushmower.  The care that went into the visual design for really does a lot to make At Attin feel truly lived-in.  Or I guess it's lived-on?

The bus driver even looks to be the same model of droid from the old Galaxy Tours attraction.

  Reveal hidden contents

Star Wars has been so focused on orphans and kids from rural backgrounds that it honestly feels both weird and refreshing to have characters who actually do something as mundane as going to a normal school and take standardized tests.  Even if it is run by droids for some reason.

The exploration of the buried ship is a neat, and well-done bit of cinematography too.  Having it be upside-down is a very nice touch.  I did crack up a bit how Wim's dad sees the landscape start to heave up as the ship lifts off, and just IMMEDIATELY starts walking backwards without missing a beat.  I'm not sure if he's just emotionally dead or he's rational enough to know he wants no part of that.  The ship shedding all that dirt and debris as it slowly rolls over is a very cool effects shot too.  (The puff of dust it leaves behind when it jumps to hyperspace is fun touch too.)

The droid being named SM-33... Smee, as in, Mr. Smee from Peter Pan is a nice touch.

Wim... Wim is increasingly giving "Too dumb to live" vibes.  Like 80% of the things that happen in the first episode and a half happen because his first instinct seems to be to do whatever the most recent person to speak to him told him NOT to do.  

 

I am unaccountably happy that, on Skeleton Crew, someone actually did find skeletons of the ship's original crew.  I was hoping that gag would come up and it did.

 

The spaceport scene's another one where the showrunners clearly put a ton of effort into making the place look and feel lived in.  From the grunge everywhere to the weird hawkers giving informercial-esque sales pitches for assassin droids.

(It really is convenient that they're from the one planet absolutely bloody nobody has heard of.  Or apparently that absolutely nobody thinks is real.)

 

I admit I am bit lost at one point... weren't Old Republic credits basically worthless outside the Republic in The Phantom Menace?  Why are they apparently worth fighting for now?  

 

SM-33's kind of a badass.  Best droid beatdown since K-2SO humbled all those Stormtroopers in Rogue One.  And we're back to the same pirate crew we saw murdering tons of people at the start.  That actually works really nicely as an organic way to merge those two storylines.  

 

All in all, not a bad start at all.  I'm interested to see where it goes.

I'm still not sure how I feel about this series, the first ep was very unnerving with the jump from Harlock-esque harpoon tubes into ships (frakkin' awesome) to "Space Suburbia". I haven't watched the second ep yet, but the end of the first left me with a wild theory.

Spoiler

Kids from the blandest part of the universe set off on an adventure & pirates. One black, one an elephant dude whatever that species is.....

What if this 

Spoiler

Is a prequal to or redo of "Captain EO!

Haven't read up yet to see if that's a common theory, or if I'm just completely off my nut.

No matter what happens, this is already 100x better than "The Acolyte".

Edited December 4 by Keith

[TangledThorns]

Glad there is positive reviews here. Will watch as soon as all the episodes are released.

[F-ZeroOne]

First impressions are pretty good. I find the "Star Wars suburbia" a bit odd, though there are hints not everything is as it seems there, and some of the pacing seems a bit off but thats an issue I seem to have with a lot of modern content. The lighting is superb and they do pretty much nail the homages in that regard they're going for. Its clearly aimed at a younger audience but I would have loved this when I was the intended age range and theres plenty for an Oldling like myself to enjoy.

[sh9000]

 

[Big s]

Finally got around to watching the first two episodes and it crossed the low bar D+ set and is the best thing they’ve added in the last couple years. I get the feeling something is really creepy about the planet the kids came from since they’re all pushed heavily into getting into complex jobs that usually involve extreme math and most of the families are shown missing a parent. Like maybe if they can’t do math, they get recycled. Also kinda weird that the droids don’t want people in the forest areas.

overall its pretty good so far and great to see Star Wars have some fun with things in what feels like a mix between treasure island or maybe planet and stuff like the Goonies.

the only thing I really didn’t like was when

Spoiler

the guy that I’m pretty sure was the captain from the beginning that seemed to have been locked up for a very long time just easily grabbed the keys to escape as though he was too stupid to think about that before.

Other than that I can’t really complain yet even though it does still do some of the overdone girlbossing and the male characters being more of a doof that most modern Disney stuff overdoes. I do like the Droid on the ship that

Spoiler

seems to have an endless supply of rats infesting it. I seriously don’t know where they’re all coming from, but it makes me laugh 

Anyway, it’s good to have hope for this franchise that felt like it was dying a painful death and looking forward to see where this goes.

[electric indigo]

ZOMG physical props!

 

[jvmacross]

Watched the first 2 episodes and feel it's another Disney Star Wars series that I'll never have the need  to watch again....after my subscription ends I'll probably not be in the same situation going forward....

[Big s]

4 hours ago, jvmacross said:

Watched the first 2 episodes and feel it's another Disney Star Wars series that I'll never have the need  to watch again....after my subscription ends I'll probably not be in the same situation going forward....

I don’t think it’s gonna be a necessary second watch or anything, but if it stays fun and doesn’t end up trash, personally I might do a for fun watch as long as I’m still subscribed in the future. If this show and Andor season two are good, then I’ll probably keep the service in hopes they won’t let me down as often as they have

[Seto Kaiba]

It's a bit early to be passing judgement on the series as a whole, isn't it?  We're only 25% of the way in.  (Though that hasn't stopped some folks involved with the production from talking about wanting to do a second season.)

With six episodes left and the story only just kicking off in earnest at the end of the second episode, this could still fall basically anywhere on the critical spectrum. 

Even if all they manage is to tell a fun-but-forgettable space adventure story Skeleton Crew will still stand head, shoulders, knees, toes, several Imperial megastructures, and a few galactic radii above the likes of The Acolyte.  

[Big s]

35 minutes ago, Seto Kaiba said:

Even if all they manage is to tell a fun-but-forgettable space adventure story Skeleton Crew will still stand head, shoulders, knees, toes, several Imperial megastructures, and a few galactic radii above the likes of The Acolyte.  

I’m ok with fun and forgettable at this point. Most of the other stuff unfortunately was memorably bad. I have a hard time remembering things I like from most of the D+ shows since all I can remember from them is how bad they are. And if all this is, is just fun, it wouldn’t be so bad to rewatch it for fun at a later time. I’m hoping it will be good, but like you said, we’re only two episodes in and things can go either way, but when the first two episodes are likeable, it gives me hope.

[Big s]

I was avoiding all the talk and news about the show until I watched the first couple episodes over the weekend and just found out that Nick Frost is the guy doing the voice of SM33. Oddly a google search for that name comes up mostly with the droid and an oral gel for inflamed gums

[Seto Kaiba]

4 hours ago, Big s said:

I’m ok with fun and forgettable at this point. Most of the other stuff unfortunately was memorably bad. I have a hard time remembering things I like from most of the D+ shows since all I can remember from them is how bad they are. And if all this is, is just fun, it wouldn’t be so bad to rewatch it for fun at a later time. I’m hoping it will be good, but like you said, we’re only two episodes in and things can go either way, but when the first two episodes are likeable, it gives me hope.

I'd put most of the Disney+ Star Wars originals in that broad but unremarkable category myself.  I've seen a few titles I'd call genuine stinkers (e.g. The Acolyte, The Book of Boba Fett) but most of them were reasonably entertaining even if they weren't especially memorable.  The one impression of these shows that's really stuck with me is that the quality of the writing tends to improve as the narrative distance from the Skywalker Saga increases.  

It's one reason I actually have kind of a good feeling about Skeleton Crew.  It seems like it's going to be an adventure in the Star Wars universe more than it is a Star Wars story... the New Republic and First Order are distant concerns at best, the Jedi are a myth, and it's more interested in exploring just how weird, wild, and wonderful the universe can be.  That's the kind of premise that can get me excited.  But I recognize that I'm thoroughly atypical in that.

[TangledThorns]

D+ overall is terrible when compared to the competition, I'd put it way behind Paramount+ which is also a much affordable subscription imho. I only have it as a tack on with my MAX/Hulu/D+ bundle.

 

 

[Big s]

1 hour ago, TangledThorns said:

D+ overall is terrible when compared to the competition, I'd put it way behind Paramount+ which is also a much affordable subscription imho. I only have it as a tack on with my MAX/Hulu/D+ bundle.

 

 

I’m surprised P+ still exists. I have yet to meet anyone with the service 

[TangledThorns]

7 minutes ago, Big s said:

I’m surprised P+ still exists. I have yet to meet anyone with the service 

Deja vu

 

 

Edited December 10 by TangledThorns

[Big s]

1 hour ago, TangledThorns said:

Deja vu

 

 

Sorry bro, I guess I totally forgot about it

[Seto Kaiba]

4 hours ago, TangledThorns said:

D+ overall is terrible when compared to the competition, I'd put it way behind Paramount+ which is also a much affordable subscription imho. I only have it as a tack on with my MAX/Hulu/D+ bundle.

There are just too many streaming services nowadays... with every major network having to have its own, they've reinvented the same problem that their broadcast/cable network channels had in that none of them have more than one or two shows that are actually worth watching at any given time.

Value-for-money in Disney+ is pretty heavily dependent on being invested in Star Wars and/or having kids.  For a while, The Mandalorian justified that expense... not sure if Skeleton Crew is up to that challenge yet but it definitely feels more up to it than most of the previous work.

Paramount+... eh... their main draw was, until recently, the one thing they were screwing up the hardest.

 

3 hours ago, TangledThorns said:

Deja vu

 

 

He was so surprised you gave him full-blown soap opera amnesia about it. 🤣

 

Edited December 10 by Seto Kaiba

[sh9000]

Creatures & Droids.

 

[Big s]

5 hours ago, Seto Kaiba said:

He was so surprised you gave him full-blown soap opera amnesia about it. 🤣

I’m just calling it a pre senior moment. I’m getting older and finding that sometimes I tend to repeat myself and often don’t realize it until someone, usually my lady informs me that I’ve done it again. It’s usually some lame story that I told a week before that I may have told a week before that that I may have even told a week before that

[Thom]

6 minutes ago, Big s said:

I’m just calling it a pre senior moment. I’m getting older and finding that sometimes I tend to repeat myself and often don’t realize it until someone, usually my lady informs me that I’ve done it again. It’s usually some lame story that I told a week before that I may have told a week before that that I may have even told a week before that

My father does that, and so do I sometime. But, sometime, I know it is a story I have told before, but I still get the urge to say it again, mostly because I haven't no new stories to tell...🤔

[Big s]

1 minute ago, Thom said:

My father does that, and so do I sometime. But, sometime, I know it is a story I have told before, but I still get the urge to say it again, mostly because I haven't no new stories to tell...🤔

At least you know it’s a story you already told. I don’t realize it till my lady says “ you just TOLD me that last week!!!”

[TangledThorns]

No hard feeling on Big s, LOL. It's all good here 🙂 

[Negotiator]

Watched the 3 episode with my daughter (newly turned 6.)  I had to explain to her,  the girl didn't really kill the captain.  

I understand the girl boss thing.  My daughter kinda has that streak in her too, but I'm noticing no one is really listening to her and her lobot friend checks her often.

Just like many of you, I'm cautious of anything Disney puts out but overall enjoy it SO FAR with the kid.   

[Thom]

Saw Ep3. I think this went a little over to the kiddie-side but it was fun regardless, as it should be. 

So,...

Spoiler

...now we know there were several 'treasure planets' that the Old Republic hid, or someone in the OR, when they saw the rise of the empire coming along, and At Attin appears to be the last one not found and apparently destroyed. Currently there is no reason to hide with the Empire gone, but gotta aonder what the At Atins have been getting up to with their 'Great Work.'

As to 'girl boss...' So what? She has a forceful personality, which isn't a bad thing.

[Duke Togo]

I'm digging this show. Pirate adventure, good times.

[Roy Focker]

No complaints from me. Thought the Owl was too cartoonish but then I remembered this is the kid targeted show.

[Big s]

10 hours ago, Thom said:

As to 'girl boss...' So what? She has a forceful personality, which isn't a bad thing.

It’s kind of a played out thing that Disney likes to do lately where there’s the girlboss and the dumb dude main characters. I probably wouldn’t have said anything about it if it didn’t seem to be in everything they do. 
 

Anyway, just saw the newest episode and it’s definitely still on the fun side and seems to be showing more of the galaxy than any other Star Wars show in only the third episode. Maybe they’re going for a record, but it is good to see places other than the usual spots like Tatooine, although I really hope I didn’t jinx it, they did show a couple Jawas.

[Thom]

6 hours ago, Big s said:

It’s kind of a played out thing that Disney likes to do lately where there’s the girlboss and the dumb dude main characters. I probably wouldn’t have said anything about it if it didn’t seem to be in everything they do. 
 

Anyway, just saw the newest episode and it’s definitely still on the fun side and seems to be showing more of the galaxy than any other Star Wars show in only the third episode. Maybe they’re going for a record, but it is good to see places other than the usual spots like Tatooine, although I really hope I didn’t jinx it, they did show a couple Jawas.

I personally don't mind it, but I understand what you're saying. Becoming a bit canned in their character development, though I see Win as still being a young dreamer who will hopefully mature a bit.

And definitely agree on seeing more worlds out there than just the sand-covered ones.😀

[Duke Togo]

If I had one thing to change about this show, is that I'd make the kids more Goonies-aged.

[jvmacross]

This show continues to prove how inept the New Republic was after the events of ROTJ....

Even worse....it also double downs proving, from a certain point of view, that the First Order was actually a return to galactic order from the chaos and lawlessness brought upon by the terrorists and their supporters in the New Republic after the fall of the Empire....

It would seem the Criminal factions that existed during the Empire’s reign did so under the Emperor's approval....with the New Republic...it seems it is a free for all...no security, no standing army....if trouble comes up...a couple of x-wings are dispatched....lol

 

[Seto Kaiba]

37 minutes ago, jvmacross said:

This show continues to prove how inept the New Republic was after the events of ROTJ....

It's just the narrative cost of doing business.  The New Republic has to be incompetent in order to keep the setting action/adventure-friendly for future stories.  If they ever actually succeeded at restoring peace, justice, and good governance to the galaxy in a lasting fashion the setting would lose its action-friendly set pieces and it would be The End.

Skeleton Crew shows us a perfect example of what the Star Wars galaxy looks like when it's not constantly on the brink of war with itself: At-Attin.  It's neat and clean and safe and the population's only real worries are the little day-to-day troubles like work meetings or grades at school.  A nice place to actually live in, but boring if you're looking for adventure.

[Thom]

4 hours ago, jvmacross said:

This show continues to prove how inept the New Republic was after the events of ROTJ....

Even worse....it also double downs proving, from a certain point of view, that the First Order was actually a return to galactic order from the chaos and lawlessness brought upon by the terrorists and their supporters in the New Republic after the fall of the Empire....

It would seem the Criminal factions that existed during the Empire’s reign did so under the Emperor's approval....with the New Republic...it seems it is a free for all...no security, no standing army....if trouble comes up...a couple of x-wings are dispatched....lol

 

Actually, the fast response time from someone calling about kids in trouble to two top if the line X-Wings showing up is pretty good. Plus, it has a lot to do with repercussions. If anyone crossed the Emperor your planet could (or would) get smacked, but the New Republic,, like the Old Republic, didn't go into that overbearing, super-control mindset. Also take into  accounts the vast reaches of the Empire/Republic and the troubles with policing it all. It could be said that the NR had fewer ships than the Empire with which to police everything, which is doubly difficult when every planet is probably beginning to flex the Independence Muscle and might not want to be controlled by anybody. This includes Imperial Remnants and criminal organizations that may then be employing mercenary outfits made up entirely of out of work Storm Troopers. The Empire chose to close that gap with the Death Star and just smacking worlds into raw mining materials, but the softer and gentler New Republic would find that a lot more difficult, especially if they were trying to show that they weren't just going to be another Galacic Empire under a newer, softer name.

Edited December 13 by Thom

[Big s]

2 hours ago, Seto Kaiba said:

Skeleton Crew shows us a perfect example of what the Star Wars galaxy looks like when it's not constantly on the brink of war with itself: At-Attin.  It's neat and clean and safe and the population's only real worries are the little day-to-day troubles like work meetings or grades at school.  A nice place to actually live in, but boring if you're looking for adventure.

I don’t know about that, almost every family is missing a parent. It shows how truly dangerous analytical jobs really are.

As far as grades, the parents seem super worried about their children not getting a C+, maybe the lower performing children get recycled 

[Big s]

6 minutes ago, Thom said:

Actually, the fast response time from someone calling about kids in trouble to two top if the line X-Wings showing up is pretty good.

They probably were just in the close area. It seems like between all the shows that are post empire, they only have a small handful of bumpkin cops handling entire star systems. I think Ashoka had the most with five in one area. Mandalorian had like two or three available and here we just see two. I’m not really sure if they even have a basic handle on things. And the creepier part is that they don’t have a way to arrest anyone. I guess if the crime isn’t that bad, they trash their ride and if it is they just execute the perpetrator